Precious old photos of the late Qing Dynasty show the custom of eating offerings in front of graves. Is "drinking poison to quench thirst" full of expectations?

1909-1911year, the British writer Edwin John Dingle traveled all over Hubei, Sichuan (including Chongqing), Yunnan and other provinces, taking a large number of photos and recreating the social life at that time. From his photos, I found a scene that recorded people eating and drinking in the cemetery after offering sacrifices to the dead.

People in southwest China eat offerings in front of graves, and Ding is taking pictures.

This aroused my curiosity. Similar images of the late Qing Dynasty are very rare and have high social history research value. I believe many people will have questions. Isn't it disrespectful to eat and drink at the grave? In fact, this is an ancient custom. In people's minds, this move is not only disrespectful to the deceased, but also beneficial to the living.

A graveyard in the southwest, photographed by Ding.

The ancients? Things die as they happen? Sacrifices to the deceased are very rich, including wine, meat and fruit bowls, and eating and drinking on the spot after the memorial service. Drink blessings? Bring blessings to the relatives of the deceased with great expectation.

This is not only a folk custom, but also an important etiquette adopted by the court, and it is more grand and ritualized. Drink the blessing and suffer? . Emperors in Ming and Qing Dynasties had this procedure in important sacrificial occasions, such as offering sacrifices to heaven, land and holes, which was essential.

Let's take the emperor's sacrifice to heaven as an example. What is the seventh procedure? Drink the blessing and suffer? . This program is divided into two steps, that is? Drink blessings? Suffering? Separate. ? Drink blessings? Just drinking? Suffering? Eating meat has a strong symbolic meaning, which is different from the scene presented in the previous photos.

Pray for the New Year in the Temple of Heaven in the late Qing Dynasty.

At the beginning, the minister first read a toast: However, this wine and food were given by God and blessed and shared by millions of people. ? The emperor stood on the altar and drank his blessing. After kneeling down and bowing to Gui, Guan knelt down and handed the glass to the emperor, who drank the blessing wine. The official knelt down and offered a sacrifice. After the emperor accepted it, he gave it to the deacon. When he left Guangxi, he kowtowed again. Then all the officials with sacrifices bowed again. Drink the blessing and suffer? it's over

Your majesty. Drink the blessing and suffer? On behalf of the people of the whole country, they have been blessed by heaven, which is the purpose of offering sacrifices to heaven.

After the whole ceremony, the emperor will distribute all the offerings to princes and ministers.